A Face in the Darkness
by mudstalker
Summary: After Ben's tragic death, Annie and Auggie's relationship progresses.  But when a strange apparition begins to haunt Annie, it may cost her own sanity and Auggie his life.  Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**A Face in the Darkness**

**Author's Note:** Ah ha, I am back! I had so much fun with my other story (and all my readers were so awesome with reviews) that I have another story for you! This is going to be kind of a creepy story, in expectation of Halloween. Sorry about the first chapter being so expository; I needed to explain where we are in the show. Hopefully, this brings everything up to speed and the story will pick up in the next chapter. Think of this as a prologue. This story is a sequel to my other story, _Bring Her Home_, but you can still read and understand this story without reading the other. It certainly helps, though. Hope you all enjoy, and as always, please review!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Covert Affairs, or the characters within. I don't own Langley either (what a horrid mess that would be!).

Auggie was at work before Annie. Which was normal, because Auggie was always at work before anyone else (even the baristas). Auggie was around so much, though, it was as if he was a permanent part of the office furnishings, and no one ever accused him of working extra time in order to "suck up" to Joan. Auggie liked the early morning before everyone arrived; it was calm and peaceful. He got most of his paperwork done during this time; communication was sometimes more taxing for him than writing out reports. But lately, his early morning time had been rather unproductive, for a certain agent kept monopolizing his thoughts.

Ever since Annie and Auggie had returned from Brazil, life had turned upside down and inside out. Immediately after her recovery, there was the incident where Annie was once again picked up by the FBI, for a murder she didn't commit. A mandatory vacation followed, where Annie was busy trying to help a political defector. This was followed by crazily planned trips to the UK and Sri Lanka, where Annie yet again met up with Ben. During all this time, Auggie and Annie's budding relationship had been shifted to the back burner. Jai saved Annie's life in the UK, earning more of Annie's admiration, only to fall from grace during Annie's encounter with Ben. Again, the love for Ben in Annie's heart had been rekindled.

Auggie felt a pang of jealousy go through his heart, but he didn't hold it against Annie. When Arthur put Annie in that terribly dangerous mission, Auggie had acted like the concerned older brother, not the concerned lover. Truth be told, he had damaged his already precarious position in the ranks of Annie admirers, and yet again Annie slipped through his fingers.

Then, the impossible occurred. Ben was shot at the end of the mission and died (rather dramatically) in Annie's arms. Though the event was terrible and Auggie would never wish death on anyone, he was secretly relieved. Now Annie would be free of Ben, and she would never be "used" like she was so much before. Whenever Ben needed something from the CIA, he would manipulate Annie (and put her in danger) until he got what he wanted, and now that would never happen again.

Yet, the whole drama-ridden mission had been an emotional roller coaster for poor Annie, and when she came back from the hospital she barely said a word for days. Auggie knew he should have been more attentive to her, but Auggie gave her space instead, feeling that some distance might clue Annie in to the hurt her actions in Sri Lanka had caused. Then again, Annie never seemed to notice; her grief sent her into a downward spiral. She came back to work determined to do well, and though she still completed missions in an exemplary fashion, she never smiled (Auggie could always hear it in her voice when she smiled) or talked to anyone (besides work related chatter).

Auggie then set about the "healing Annie" project. He brought her coffee every morning, and made sure that she spent at least her lunch break (and once a week-night) talking to _someone_ (usually him). More often, it was Auggie talking to her, but as the summer faded and the leaves began to show the signs of fall, Annie was beginning to come out of her shell again. There were days when she actually instigated talking, and they began to take walks after work in the park. The walks became longer and longer, and Auggie found out many little things about Annie that made him love her all the more. (Things like: she loved pumpkin pancakes in the fall, hated white hot chocolate, and liked snowflake printed scarves.) These were stupid, little things that no one ever thinks about, but Auggie loved learning them and he never forgot them.

Three months had gone by since Ben's death, and October had set into the world with its crisp, breezy breath. Annie and Auggie had gotten much closer in a "I'll be there for you," fashion, and Auggie smiled as he contemplated on how their relationship was progressing. There had been a change lately; a spark, as it were.

"She'll fall in love with me yet," thought Auggie with a smile as he jolted himself back to the paperwork in hand. "It's just a matter of time."

Annie walked into Langley right on time, happy to be coming to work for the first time in months. Though she had diligently continued with her work in the DPD, she hadn't really enjoyed coming to work at all. Then again, Annie hadn't enjoyed much of anything; food had no taste, the colors in the world around her seemed dull, and her heart had been so heavy it was an effort just to talk. The scene of Ben dying in her arms had played over and over again in her mind, plaguing her with guilt during her waking hours and terrible nightmares while she slept. In Annie's mind, she knew there was nothing she could have done for Ben, but she felt guilty just the same. She and Jai should have trusted that Ben knew what he was doing; not have followed him into that building and blown his cover. Sure, Ben had broken protocol. But he was also a rogue agent; when had he not broken protocol? And now, because of her blunder, Ben was dead.

The feelings of loss, guilt, and shame had been so intense at first that Annie felt as if she were dying on the inside, though she put up a brave front on the outside. At least she didn't have to keep the front at home; she told her sister Ben had died in a car crash, after contacting her and wanting to meet up with her again. Her sister understood how much Annie had been in love, and was very understanding and supportive.

The people at the DPD were also supportive, in their own way. Everyone was very careful about what was discussed regarding the mission; they spoke of it as little as possible. Jai was very civil to Annie, though he now kept his distance; it was in part his mistrust of Ben that had caused his death, and he thought Annie in some way held him responsible. Joan even put Annie on much easier assignments, and though she did not address Annie any differently, Joan did offer a shoulder to cry on outside of work. Annie didn't take her up on it, though, because by then Auggie and his lunch breaks had become sacred time.

Annie found herself looking forward to the lunch hour every day. When she was getting ready in the morning, an unexpected thread of happiness would slip through her heart when she thought of their meetings. During lunch, Auggie would often talk about his family, and often highlight the misadventures of his four older brothers. Auggie had such an amazing way of "seeing" the world; though life had dealt him a tough card, he had an indomitable spirit that was determined to enjoy everything around him. He found humor in almost everything, and often tried so hard to make Annie laugh that that in itself was comical. He listened to all of Annie's sad monologues without reproach, and he always offered a comforting hug when she needed to sob her eyes out. But there was something else that had happened lately; there was a change in their comfortable more-than-friends-but-not-quite-dating relationship. It was a small change, but it came so gently that Annie hardly noticed it. She really _was_ happy when she was with Auggie.

Annie stopped her lengthy musings to get a latté, only to be informed by the Barista that her coffee was already ready and paid for. Annie gripped the warm cup in her hands and walked down the hall, searching for Auggie. She found him seated by his desk, invariably listening to some form of chatter.

Auggie snapped his head up as Annie stepped into his small office. It always amazed Annie how Auggie could listen to chatter while filing reports and keeping an ear on his surroundings all at the same time. "Good morning, Annie," Auggie said with a lopsided grin. "Sleep well?"

The truth? No, she didn't sleep well. But what Annie actually said was, "Mm, pretty good. You?"

Auggie caught the deception right away, but let it be for the time. He couldn't resist teasing her back a little, though. "Mm, I slept 'pretty good' as well."

Annie laughed and took a sip of her latte. "You know, I know we have this conversation every day now, but Auggie, you don't have to buy me my coffee every morning."

Auggie grinned mischievously. "It falls on deaf ears," he replied.

Annie rolled her eyes; Auggie had the sharpest hearing of anyone she had ever met. "What are we doing today?" Annie asked, masking her amused annoyance.

"We're doing research for Joan; apparently, a certain arms dealer we both ran into in Brazil had a weapons cache in America. We're digging through Valmor's old records; it'll probably be a dusty day." Auggie's voice turned serious then. "Annie, it won't bug you to go through some of Valmor's old files will it?"

Annie smiled; Auggie could hear it in her voice! "How could I forget our first date?" she asked teasingly.

"It wasn't a very romantic date, as I recall," Auggie played along. "The food was bad, the service; terrible, and the souvenirs worthless."

Annie sighed. "I don't think that cane of yours was worthless. I'll be saving that forever."

Auggie chuckled, though his heart rose a little with pride. "She still remembers what we went through," Auggie thought with a grin. Though it would be hard to forget a time when someone tried to kill you, Annie had been unconscious most of the time. However, Annie had an exceedingly good memory and could remember every semi-conscious moment she had in that place.

"The cane isn't worth much; I should have been more prepared," sighed Auggie.

Annie guffawed. "You sure packed enough to constitute being prepared," she answered.

"Next time, I'll pack a couple of Marines and a doctor just in case," Auggie answered.

Annie chuckled, and Auggie's heart soared with happiness. He had so missed the sound of her laughter.

The two continued their playful banter, oblivious to a pair of eyes watching them from across the hall. They eyes narrowed into slits as they observed the agents, and suddenly, a slow, unnerving smile crept across a shadowed face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: **Have fun with chapter two, and thanks for the reviews!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Covert Affairs, or its characters.

Annie smiled happily. It was after work, and she and Auggie were walking through the park, the cold nippy wind tossing colored leaves carelessly in their faces. They had not found much in Valmor's files; to be honest, it would probably be weeks of dry, dusty work instead of a day. But Annie didn't mind; she loved working with Auggie in any capacity, and the rote boring work was less taxing on her sleep-deprived mind.

"You know," Auggie began as they slowly walked the park route, Annie's arm threaded through Auggie's, "October reminds me of a prank my brothers and I once pulled. There was this corn maze our neighbor set up every year for all the neighborhood kids, and every Halloween we'd have to get to the end in the dark to get our candy. Well, one year my oldest brother, who was a high schooler by then, had been really mean to me. To get back at him, I dressed up as a scarecrow and hid in the corn maze. I wanted to scare him good. My other brothers were in on the whole thing; they convinced him to take his date to the corn maze. My idea was to sit in the last part of the maze, where there was an actual scarecrow. You see, at the end of the maze, you'd turn this corner and you'd see a scarecrow standing right in front of you. When I was younger, it used to scare the living daylights out of me, every time! This particular year, though, I took the scarecrow's place."

"We waited until it was really late at night; right before our neighbor was about to go to bed. I was already in the middle of the maze and waiting. It seemed to take my brother _forever_, but finally I heard footsteps. I prepared to jump out at him, and when he came around the corner, I leaped out with a scream!"

"Turns out, my brother had not shown up. I jumped out at our neighbor himself. The poor guy ran so fast; he must have ran for miles!"

Annie began laughing out loud; Auggie's prank playing vividly in her mind. "Did he ever open the corn maze again?" she asked between chuckles.

"Yes, he did, but after his first scare he turned traitor and filled the maze with tons of older kids who wanted to also dress up and scare folks. The maze was never a benign, happy maze again."

Annie grinned. "He must have wanted to get you back," Annie said. "Did he ever find out you were the scarecrow?"

Auggie shook his head. "I'm not quite sure. I know he never found out, but I think he had his suspicions. You see, every Halloween morning I found a scarecrow mask on my doorstep."

Annie shook her head, amused. "My sister and I once pulled a prank of sorts too," she said with a smile.

Auggie's eyes went exaggeratedly wide. "My saintly Annie pranked someone?" he asked in awe. "Please tell!"

Annie grinned. "My sister and I knew this really old man up the road. He was really kind; he was giving me Russian lessons."

"How old were you?" Auggie interrupted.

"I don't know... eight or nine. Maybe ten."

"And you were getting Russian lessons?"

"Instead of piano."

"Oh. Okay..."

"Anyway," Annie said pointedly, secretly amused by Auggie's never-ending wonder over her gift for languages, "every Halloween these kids would come and vandalize old Mr. Brodovik's house. They'd throw rocks through his windows and rip up his garden. Well, my sister hid by the house with a basket of baseballs, and I hid in the garden with a baseball bat and a hockey mask over my face. When the bullies came, my sister pummeled them with baseballs, and I chased them down the street, swinging my bat and yelling the whole time! Not much of a prank, I suppose, but they were well-known bullies who never again came back."

"Amazing," Auggie said. "But dangerous! You could have gotten hurt; did old Mr. Brewer know you two were out there?"

Annie laughed. "Of course not! If he knew, he'd hardly let us complete the plan, would he?"

Auggie smiled. "You never cease to amaze me," he said, stopping their walk about three steps shy of where they normally ended it. He pulled Annie around to "face" him.

Annie gave a flustered laugh. "You amaze me yourself," she said. "You always seem to know what to do; I sometimes wonder if you don't run the whole DPD."

Auggie shook his head in amusement. "I'm not that crazy," he stated. "I'd never want to _run_ the DPD. You'd have to threaten me with death to take Joan's job, and who knows? I might even choose death!"

Annie shivered, Auggie's offhanded phrase striking a chord of fear in her heart. Sure, the agents risked death every day. Regular people risked death by just getting out of bed. But still, it was as if Auggie had accidentally foretold his future.

"Please, don't say that you'd die, even in jest!" Annie said seriously. All trace of laughter was gone from her voice now. "I can't bear even the thought of you dying too!"

Auggie held her close to him, tilting his head down to the sound of her voice. "Annie," he stated calmly, "I've beaten the odds several times, and I'll beat them again. Don't worry, I'm not going to die on you."

"You better not," Annie replied shakily. Her usual humor was returning though, and she said with a rough laugh, "If you die, I'll kill you."

Auggie smiled slightly, suddenly overcome by the urge to just bend and kiss her. He refrained, though. Annie was still confused herself over what she wanted, and until she chose Auggie... he was determined to give her space.

An awkward moment of silence came and went, and finally Annie backed away. "I've got to be getting home. It's getting dark. Come on, I'll drive you."

Auggie followed, feeling as if he had missed his big chance yet again. He didn't mind showing that he loved Annie, but the thing was that Annie knew he loved her. Now, Auggie needed to know if Annie loved him back. Clearly, she was not ready yet.

The eyes that had been watching them in Langley were now watching them in the park. Content with their observation, they closed briefly, then snapped open again. The world was growing dark, and it was the perfect time to prowl.

CACACACACA

Annie sighed as she stretched out on her bed. An evening of game night with her sister's family had eased the tension that she had felt ever since her walk with Auggie that afternoon, but now in the darkness of her own room and her own thoughts, she could clearly picture Auggie dying in her arms as well. The vision terrified her, and she desperately worked to shove it out of her mind.

Suddenly, the coldly logical part of her mind spoke up. "What would you care if Auggie dies?" it seemed to say. "What is he to you? Just a friend? You can always make more of those."

Annie growled. "He's more than just a friend," she told herself. "He's much, _much_ more!"

"Yeah, right," her mind answered back. "You don't _treat _him like he is much, _much_ more. You keep him at arms length, and when he tries to get close you push him away. And anyway, what exactly is much, _much_ more?"

"It's not clearly defined."

"Not clearly defined my foot. Do you love him or not?"

"Yes! No... I don't know..."

"If Ben came back today, who would you choose? Auggie or Ben?"

"BEN ISN'T COMING BACK!"

The finality of that thought put every thought in her mind to rest. Annie sighed; she hated wrestling with herself. Gradually, her heart stopped racing and she felt calmer. She briefly wondered if she should go downstairs and see if her sister was still up, but she decided against that. It was late, and Annie knew her sister worried enough about her as it was. Besides, her sister didn't ever get enough sleep being super mom, and the last thing Annie needed was her sister mothering her too.

Quietly, deciding against going downstairs altogether, Annie walked over to the window and sat down. There wasn't much to look out at, just a suburban backyard, but the sight of the city sky comforted Annie like it had when she was young. Then, Annie's eyes widened.

There was a figure standing under her window. At first, Annie thought it was a burglar. But even in the gloom, Annie could still make out the shape of the body, and her spine shuddered as she _recognized_ the person below.

"Ben?" she whispered.

Quickly, she opened her window and stuck out her head (and as much of her body as she dared). "Ben?" she called louder.

The figure below her window looked up then, and suddenly the motion sensor light from the garage came on. Annie gasped in terror as suddenly the face in the darkness became clear; _it was Ben Mercer's_!

The figure didn't seem to be frightened at all about the garage door light turning on; he just looked at it with a lazy curiosity, then turned back to face Annie.

Annie froze, unsure of what to do. She didn't know whether to run down to Ben and see if he really was alive, or to close up her window and call the cops. To clear her mind, she closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. She really just wanted to scream, but her CIA training took over.

"Ben is dead," she told herself again and again. "He died in your arms. You saw him die! And now, he is dead. So just let it go."

Finally, Annie had regained her composure. Opening her eyes, she looked back down into the backyard. There was no one there; it was completely empty.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Mwa Ha Ha! The third chapter is up, and I hope you all enjoy. As always, thanks so much for the reviews!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Covert Affairs. And as for Annie's somewhat exaggerated behavior, I reserve the right that anyone who has someone die in their arms has the right to act as distressed as they want :).

Auggie sat opposite from Annie in the small office, squeezing his stress grip under the desk as he pondered what to do with the agent. She had come in late and had been quiet all morning. He could feel the tension just oozing off her, and her uneasiness at every sound was making her jump slightly in her seat; he could hear the chair creak under her change in weight.

He had already done the obvious thing, ask her what was wrong, but she had just brushed him off. Auggie then contented himself with reading more of Valmor's files, which seemed to stretch on for eternity. He wondered momentarily if it was the memory of Valmor that was bothering her, but he decided against that. Annie was one tough cookie; she hadn't been bothered at all by Valmor yesterday; she had even joked about him. Annie didn't use joking to deflect her emotions; she used frustration and anger. But even these emotions didn't match the one exuding off Annie at this moment; Annie was afraid.

Auggie was about ready to suggest a trip down to the gym to go relieve some tension when he heard a familiar laugh in the hall. Bert, the sunny replacement technician, was exchanging jokes with an unfamiliar walker. It sounded like they were coming his way, though, and inwardly Auggie smiled. Bert was always good for laughs; he had often helped alleviate the stress in the department on more than one occasion.

"Hey, Auggie, Annie! This is a new guy; well, new for a few weeks anyway. His name's John Freeman!"

"Hello," Annie said softly, rising to shake his hand then sit again.

"John," Auggie greeted, inclining his head to the sound of Bert's voice, directed to where he hoped John was.

"Hello," said a deep, somewhat heavy-sounding voice. Auggie wondered if John just had a deep voice, or if John was a really, _really _big man.

"So," Auggie stated with a smile. "New for a few weeks?"

"Exchange agent, if you will," John clarified. "I'm just here to review the summer mission reports and check them against the budget... I have a very boring job. But from what Bert was telling me, you guys had a really crazy adventure this summer."

Auggie rolled his eyes at Bert. "It's nice to know our lives are kept so private," he mock-scowled. "You'd think we were a T.V. show or something; the escape from that adventure wasn't even on the CIA budget!"

"Yes, but you four are," said a highly irritating voice from behind John. "And wasted time is wasted money."

Auggie opened his eyes wider in recognition. "Oh, hi Jai. What brings you into my already crowded office?"

"Joan wants an update on your progress."

Auggie grinned. "Well, Annie and I found out Valmor loved goldfish for a snack. Kind of ironic, seeing as how he died." Auggie could feel Jai roll his eyes, and he grinned. "Score one for me," he thought.

"Just tell me when you've got something, okay?" Jai growled, stalking off loudly.

"My my," John admonished. "What is _with_ that guy?"

"He's just that way," Bert replied. "He's the one legend I told you about, you know... the Equalizer?"

"Oh no," Auggie scowled. "I knew I should have never, ever told you that! You and your stupid CIA legends!"

Bert laughed, then explained what Auggie meant because apparently John looked confused. "I collect CIA legends; you know, like the culture stories of CIA people (not the people themselves). You see, I believe that every workplace has a culture, and every culture has their own stories. You know, CIA culture is fascinating; you've got double agents, triple agents, rogue agents, Equalizers, Silent Partners..."

"What are Silent Partners?" John interrupted.

"Well, there are two kinds of "Silent Partners," began Bert, going into lecture mode. "The first are these kind of mysterious people who come out of the shadows to give you information, but only very rarely and you never really can identify them well."

"Like a paranoid contact," Annie said, making Auggie jump slightly. This was practically the first thing Annie had said all day, and it surprised (and pleased) Auggie.

"Exactly," Bert praised. "The other kinds are also known as "Ghost Partners," because they are more otherworldly agents. The second kind of Silent Partner, the Ghost Partner, is an agent's partner that died in the line of duty, coming back and watching over their partner until they save that person's life at least once. In rare cases, they are called Protectors, but only when they are really not dead but everyone thinks they are... Annie, are you okay?"

Annie must have gone white as a sheet, Auggie figured, because for the first time in his history of knowing Annie, Annie fainted.

"Whoa!" shouted Ben; Auggie was on the floor in seconds, propping Annie up.

"Is she okay... I mean, does she always do this?" asked John awkwardly.

"No, she doesn't always do this," Auggie sneered. "Get some cold water, would you? And maybe Joan..." Auggie stopped talking as Annie shifted beneath his hands. "Auggie?" she mumbled.

"Right here, Annie. Annie, are you okay?"

"Mm... I think I am now. But I feel really weird; I'd like to go home, okay."

"Sure, I hear you," Auggie replied. "John, it was nice meeting you. Hey, Bert? Would you tell Joan what just happened and get me and Annie off the clock for a while. Don't make it into an emergency, just let Joan know I'll be back later, okay? Then, I'll talk to her."

Bert must have only nodded, because a second later he and John had vacated the office and suddenly the small space seemed exaggeratedly larger. "I need a bigger office," Auggie mused as he gently pulled Annie up.

"I'm alright," said Annie, who had been struggling to stand. "I just need to get some fresh air... and maybe go home."

"Well, you _are_ going home, but not just yet. You are getting your bearings first. Come, let's go to the park."

CACACACACA

An hour later in the brisk, cool wind, Annie was sounding much better and Auggie was feeling much more relieved.

"I don't know what came over me; I almost never faint," Annie sighed, ashamed. "You know, I feel like an idiot; one moment I am listening to Bert and his corny spy thriller junk, and the next moment I'm on the ground surrounded by three very worried-looking men."

"Well," Auggie began, trying to waylay her embarrassment. "One very worried looking man. Bert and John were just concerned, but I am worried. Annie, you just didn't faint for the heck of it. What did Bert say that made you so uneasy? And don't try to say you're not uneasy; I've been with you all morning and I swear I have never seen you so jumpy."

Annie sighed, irritated. "Just a dream, that's all. I just had a dream, okay? Nothing more, nothing less."

Auggie resisted the urge to get frustrated. "What kind of dream?" he asked quietly.

"Of all people, you said you'd never pressure me! What're you doing now!"

Auggie took a deep breath; Annie was getting irrational. Auggie had a sudden flashback moment of half a year ago, when he had cemented their friendship on the other side of a door. Now, though, he felt like Annie was behind a wall with no doors. It was as if there was no way he could reach her. Taking a deep breath, Auggie tried to reach out one more time.

"Now, Annie, you know that is not fair," he admonished. "I'm just trying to help. If you want to get over this, if you want to fight this, then you _have to let someone in_! If you don't, you'll eventually go crazy, and that's the bottom line. Now, what is bothering you?"

For a moment, Auggie thought he'd pushed too hard, but then he was rewarded with hearing a consenting, resigned sigh.

"I saw Ben last night," Annie said sadly. "I saw Ben Mercer below my window, looking as alive and well as I'd ever seen him. When I closed my eyes to get my bearings again, I told myself that it couldn't be possible. I opened my eyes again, and Ben was gone."

Auggie was silent, letting Annie think her way through last night. They continued on to a second lap around the park, but Annie said not a word. Finally, when they were approaching a third lap, Annie continued. "I know it was just a dream. It _had_ to be a dream. But Auggie, today I hear from Bert that there are other instances where CIA agents see the ghosts of their dead partners... what if Ben is haunting me? Or better yet, what if he is a Protector; someone who is not really dead. Did he really die in my arms, or did he somehow, someway manage to live past being covered up in sheet once we got to the hospital? Auggie, I have no idea what's going on, but I'm falling apart!"

Auggie stopped and wrapped his arms around Annie. "Shh, listen to me," Auggie comforted. "There is _no way _Ben can still be alive. And there are no ghosts. So, Annie, it was just a dream. Just a terrible, horrific dream. And one bad dream isn't enough to make the Annie I know go crazy, okay? Stay with me, Annie."

Annie relaxed under the safe grip of Auggie's arms. "Thanks," Annie said, sounding much more comforted. "I have no idea what came over me; I think it was just too much, too soon. You know?"

"Yeah," Auggie said, remembering his own breakdown after he lost his sight. "Yeah, I know." The two of them held each other for a moment longer, then walked back to Langley's parking lot where Annie's car was. Auggie escorted Annie safely to her car, then entered Langley prepared to explain the events of the morning to Joan in true friend fashion.

The watcher smiled as he watched Annie drive away. The first phase of his plan was completed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Fourth chapter's up, and the plot is taking some unusual twists, even for me. Hope you all enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Covert Affairs, and I am happy to say I own no ghosts.

Auggie walked into Joan's office, hoping his usual carefree smile and easy gait would put Joan at ease about Annie's morning breakdown. Apparently, Joan was not easily fooled.

"Come in," she barked when she saw Auggie standing in the doorway. "Now, what happened with Annie today? Bert said something about her collapsing, but it was not an emergency...?"

Auggie cringed at the steel tone of Joan's voice. The story of partially mixed truth and down-playing fib died in his throat. "Annie fainted today, after hearing Bert talk about one of his ghost stories. Apparently, Annie thought she saw Ben standing under her window last night."

Joan's eyes widened, but experience had taught her to keep her voice calm and level. "Did she believe the ghost was real, or was she thinking it was just a vision brought on by stress?"

Auggie kept his face stonily impassive. "I think she realized that she was overtired," Auggie answered after a moment. "She's convinced now it was just a dream, and has gone home to rest."

"Do you think it was just a dream?" asked Joan. Even though her tone was level, Auggie could hear the insinuation behind it.

"She thinks Annie is crazy," thought Auggie. He frowned. "Yes, I think it was just a dream," Auggie answered back, a little too forcefully. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and continued. "Joan, Annie just had an agent die in her arms a month and a half ago. She's never had anything like that happen to her before, and she needs some time to heal."

"I understand, Auggie. Annie's one of the best agents we have," Joan began. "But she doesn't know when to quit! I need to know where she is; what she can and cannot do now. Annie's extremely good at hiding all her feelings and getting the job done. How am I supposed to tell what jobs she can handle and what jobs she can't? What if she breaks down on missions? The field is not a friendly place."

"Then bench her for a while," Auggie answered. "Give her some more time off; let her do some work with me. Like finding Valmor's weapons, or researching, or going over mission reports. Annie will come around, you just have to give her time."

Joan sighed, the strain of the last few days wearing on her. Field agents took a long time to train and were a very expensive commodity to produce. Already, Joan's superiors were pushing her to send Annie back into the field. Annie had had quite a few days off lately, but the bureaucrats in Washington didn't see the reasons why. They just knew that Annie was getting more time off than her allotted amount, and they were coming down on Joan for it. Hard.

"I hope she will be okay," Joan said. "I'll keep her on paperwork duty for a little while longer, but that won't hold for long. Whatever Annie's trying to sort through, she needs to sort through it quickly."

**oOo**

Annie sat back in her soft cushy chair; the one that had been in her room ever since she had been a teenage girl. Her chair (one of those basket woven circle affairs) faced the window, and Annie was curled contentedly in it drinking a mug of hot cider. The house was deathly still; the family had gone to bed long ago. But Annie had refrained, curling up like a watchdog in her chair by the window sill in order to watch out for that silent figure that had startled her so badly the night before.

As the night wore on, Annie began to struggle with her vigil. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and the blinking of the neighbor's motion sensor garage light going on and off rhythmically (due to their cat) began to lull Annie into a daze. At last, she put her still-warm mug on the windowsill and snuggled deeper into her chair, sleep finally overwhelming her.

_Annie dreamed she was on the beach in Sri Lanka, looking up at the bright sun as it stretched across the sky. Ben was laying next to her in the sand, the sun already burning his fair skin. They had just gotten back from a swim, and were drying off in the relentless sun. _

_"You know what?" Ben said with a smile._

_"What?" Annie replied happily._

_"We need to live here!" Ben answered. "One day, we'll come back to this place, and we will never leave!"_

_Annie smiled. "But we have to leave! This is just a vacation, you know. The owner will want the house back."_

_"No," Ben said gently. "No, I think not. I don't think I could stand any of the days without you! We'll get married, buy this house, and live in it for the rest of our lives. No one can make us leave!"_

_Annie had thought that comment strange at the time. "Why do you say that?" she laughed. "Is someone going to make us leave?"_

_For just a split second, a strange, prophetic look seemed to flash through Ben's eyes. Then, he smiled and shook his head. "No one will make us leave, Annie. No one can budge us! We will be together, through time and space!"_

_Annie laughed aloud at the impulsive craziness of it all, yet something in Ben's tone seemed to disturb her. He seemed... different somehow. Uneasy, and... afraid, if that were possible._

_Shaking off the uncertain thoughts like he shook the sand off his body, Ben jumped up. "Come on," he said good-naturedly. "Let's go back into the waves!"_

_Annie laughed. "But we've already been for a swim, and you're getting red. You need to at least put on some more suntan lotion."_

_Ben laughed crazily. "I defy the sun!" he said with a laugh, and he caught Annie up into a light hug. "And so should you. Come on, I'll race you to the water!"_

_With that, Ben started to race to the water, his fists pumping exaggeratedly as he bounded towards the waves. Annie followed him with an easy lope, laughing at his exaggerated running. His matching cowry shell bracelet caught the sun as his arms flailed, and Annie eyed her own bracelet for a moment, thinking of the promise he had made to marry her._

_Once in the water, Ben instigated a game of tag, Annie splashing along beside him. "Hey, no fair!" she called as he shot towards the sand bar, where he could climb up and run._

_Ben turned to grin back at her, then jumped out of the waves. Then, suddenly, his entire demeanor changed._

_"ANNIE!" he called, terrified._

_Annie jumped up out of the water as fast as she could, and ran on the shore to the sand bar. "BEN!" she shouted, afraid._

_Ben looked at her, sadness and horror mingling in his eyes. Blood started seeping from a bullet wound in his back, and in a moment, he had collapsed into her arms as a bloody mess that looked like something that belonged in a horror movie._

_Annie screamed as she frantically tried to put pressure on the wound, but Ben's eyes were already glassy._

_"What a way for a reunion to end," were his last words as he slipped away, leaving Annie alone and splattered with crimson._

"AHH!" Annie sat bold upright, the terror from her nightmare jerking her into reality. It was much, much later; her cider had gone stone cold, and even the neighbor's cat had retired; the darkness was complete. Annie jumped out of her chair violently shaking and rubbing at her skin to make sure all of Ben's blood was off her. It took several moments for her to realize that the nightmare had been just a dream; it felt too much like reality to dismiss away all at once.

Walking as quietly as she could, Annie paced her room, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart. Hoping to cool off her sweat slicked skin, she walked over to her window and opened it, letting in the cool October breeze. Then, Annie froze.

_Ben was in her backyard again_. There he stood, seeming as real and as solid as the house itself, staring unblinkingly up at Annie's window. Annie thrust her head out and stared back; the two of them locked into an endless staring contest. Finally, Annie broke the stare. Out of desperation to see if it were truly Ben as his living self (she wouldn't have dared going outside otherwise), Annie grabbed her robe and flung it around her. She silently raced down the back entrance steps, taking them two and three at a time, and when she hit the bottom she swung her weight around the banister and opened the garage side door in one smooth motion. She bounded out to the backyard and sprinted to where Ben had been standing.

Ben was no longer there. The garage door motion light came on then, flooding the backyard with amber light, but there was no indication anyone living had been standing there. There was no glimpse of a quickly fleeing figure, no imprints left in the springy turf; nothing.

Annie heard the breeze rustling through the bushes back by the fence; the sound of dead leaves crackling making her feel as hallow and alone as the yard. Sighing more with exhaustion than relief, Annie turned to trudge back to the house. Then, the breeze lifted a shadow out from under her window, and the amber light spilled in. For a second, something small glinted.

Annie walked under her window and knelt down on the soft, dewy grass. There was something on the turf before her; something small, slender, and ultimately familiar. Annie's hand shot forward, and she grasped the object; _it was Ben's matching cowry shell bracelet, which was supposed to have been buried with him. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Hi all! Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews! I have a couple of surprises waiting for you, so please keep on reading. I'm having so much fun with a ghostly Ben, but I hope I'm not stepping on anyone else's story. It's all the show's fault for making us think he is dead. Knowing television, Ben will probably live, and we will have to suffer through five seasons of him before Annie and Auggie can get together (if that is even a possibility to the writers). Well, that's what fan fiction's for, so read up! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Covert Affairs or it's characters.

The next day, Annie called in sick, and Auggie felt it was one of the most unproductive days in the history of the DPD. He spent his entire morning searching fruitlessly through Valmor's old files and journals for some mention of an arms deposit site. Then, when the afternoon finally dragged itself around, Auggie spent most of it with John Freeman going over budget needs with his technology department. To top it off, Auggie was concerned about Annie the whole day, which just made the time go by slower. By the end of the day, Auggie was through with work and more than a little ready to be off. Sneaking out the back way (so that he wouldn't be sidetracked by anyone, especially Joan) Auggie managed to make it out to the street undetected, and within ten minutes was safely ensconced in a taxi headed to Annie's house.

Ever since Auggie had given Annie's nieces' third grade class a tour of the Smithsonian, Auggie had become a family hero. He had been invited over to the house on a couple of occasions, and Annie's sister Danielle had been very open about him "dropping by anytime." It was no secret that she was determined to see her younger sister happily settled down in life, and if that goal required Danielle to be a matchmaker, so be it.

Personally, Danielle liked Auggie better than Jai. Though Jai had been sweet, and definitely hot, he seemed a bit... shallow. Auggie, on the other hand, was cute and fun; just what Annie needed after such a serious blow to her emotions. When Auggie knocked on Danielle's door, she opened it up and invited Auggie in happily.

"Hey," Auggie said lightly. "I was just dropping in to check on Annie... how's she doing?"

Danielle smiled. "Hi, Auggie! Poor Annie; she's been in bed all day today. She looks awful, too. I think she caught one of those twelve-hour flues; my daughter brought it home for all of us to enjoy last week."

"Oh boy, how fun for you," Auggie teased with a smile.

Danielle grinned at Auggie (even though she knew he couldn't see it, she could swear at times he could feel it) and began to walk to the stairs. "Let me see if Annie's awake; help yourself to a seat. There's a chair a few steps to your left."

Auggie obediently took a seat, and Danielle hurried into Annie's room. "Hey, sweetie," Danielle whispered as she popped her head into Annie's dark room. "Annie, are you awake?"

"Mm... yeah. What's up?" Annie replied.

"You've got some company. Auggie's here to see you."

"Oh, no! Please don't let him up here! I... um... am sick, you know, and I don't want him to catch whatever I have."

Danielle looked long and hard at her sister. She knew when her sister was lying. Her current job had made her very aloof lately, but emotionally Danielle was able to read her like a book. Well, she used to be able to read her like a book. After a moment longer, Danielle made a decision.

"I'll send him away," she said. "But then, you and I are going to have a heart to heart, okay?"

oOo

Auggie was not easily dismissed, but when he was gone it took all the self control Danielle had not to race up to her sister's room and throttle her around the neck. Instead, she made two glasses of hot chocolate, and quietly strode up the steps. Her daughters were having their "daddy" time, and Danielle was free for about half an hour.

"Hey Annie," she called as she walked into Annie's room. "I have some hot chocolate for you."

Annie sat up, looking sad and sheepish. "Thanks for that," she whispered.

Danielle studied her sister with a critical eye. She had been a mother long enough to know that Annie didn't have a fever of any sort. Still, Annie did not look well. She had dark bags under her eyes, her skin was pale, and she looked thinner (if that were even possible). To top it all off, she seemed extremely on edge, as if the slightest sound would send her running at any moment. "Better approach this carefully," Danielle thought.

"Annie," Danielle started, "Can you please explain to me why I sent the family hero out the back door?"

Annie sighed. "I just don't want to see anybody right now," she said, trying to close the subject off.

Danielle practically growled in frustration. She wanted to curse Ben; he'd taken her sister's heart away the first time he met her, left her burned for three or so years, and just as Annie was getting over him at long last, he had to come back into her life then die on her.

"Look, Annie," Danielle began after a long pause. "Whether you like it or not, Ben's gone. I know it practically killed you the first time he left you, and now it seems to be doing more damage. Annie, you're really scaring me. You have so many people who care about you; so many people to fall back on. You have me, the kids, Auggie, Jai, your friends at work... you have an endless list of people who need you. So don't give up on us yet!"

Annie smiled (solely for the benefit of her sister) and said, "You are such a worrier! Danielle, I promise you nothing is going to happen to me. I just need some time to sort all this out..."

"No!" Danielle interrupted, in a firm and commanding voice. "Annie, don't give me the brush off. Ever since we were kids, I have always been the outgoing one while you've acted like the princess in the ivory tower. You've always held people at arm's length, always made it like you needed to be rescued from your tower. And in reality, Annie, if you don't choose to leave that tower, people will stop trying to rescue you. You need to be the hero of your own story, Annie, and not watching your life pass by!"

Annie smiled for real this time; her nieces had just gotten into the princess stage, and everything Danielle was doing lately seemed to center on princesses. "You'd make a great counselor, you know that?" she said to her sister.

Danielle grinned happily, feeling as if this battle was won. She leaned over and hugged her sister. "I always have been your counselor," she stated matter-of-factly, and Annie chuckled.

"Well, you're a great mom too," Annie flattered.

"I won't be a great mom if I don't get dinner on soon," Danielle stated with a resigned sigh, and both the girls giggled at that.

The watcher stood across the street, eyeing Annie's room. Soon, it would again be time to prowl.

oOo

Despite the interruptions to the previous evenings, Annie didn't sleep very well. She had napped a lot during the day, and in the darkness of her room she felt vulnerable. Ghosts could pass through walls, couldn't they? What good were walls, doors, and blankets on a bed compared to a ghost? Nevertheless, Annie snuggled tighter under the blankets, feeling a vague sense of security in the creature comfort, if nothing else.

Around midnight, Annie felt a strange thrill of fear creep down her spine. "He's here," her mind seemed to say.

"I'm not going to look out that window," Annie stated, burrowing deeper into the covers.

But the nagging thought to check the window seemed to pulse through her mind like a heartbeat, and finally, Annie could stand it no longer.

Quietly, Annie pulled on her robe and slid on some slippers. Instead of going over to the window, however, she crept silently down the back stairs and gently opened the backdoor. Noiselessly, she crept around the corner of her house, peering around to see if Ben was still standing in his usual spot under her window.

Ben was there, his skin glowing unnaturally in the faint moonlight. The amber light from the garage came on, and suddenly that pure, iridescent glow became amber-tainted and sickly looking. He swiveled his head to stare at her, but did not look startled and did not fade away.

Annie stared at him for the longest moment, then began to inch his way. "Ben?" she whispered, getting closer and closer to him. "Ben, is that you?"

Ben only nodded; one exaggeratedly large nod. Annie frowned and stopped a few feet from him. "Why are you here?" she asked after a moment, feeling more confused than she had ever felt in her life.

"You're in danger," Ben said simply, his voice sounding strange and distorted. Annie frowned; there was something wrong with his voice. In fact, putting aside the attentions of a ghost, there were a lot of things wrong with Ben. For instance, he seemed to look through Annie as if he were blind; it reminded Annie of Auggie in an unnerving way. Secondly, he stood as if he were a zombie; hands out and straight at the sides, using no gestures at all. But his voice unnerved Annie the most; it was cold and dead sounding, completely unlike the Ben she had known.

"In danger from what?" Annie asked timidly. Her heart was beating a million miles an hour, but she was also feeling surprisingly calm. It was funny how the two things went together sometimes.

"Valmor's weapons cache," Ben replied. "I am here to protect you; when you find the weapons, you will find death. Please, do not go to retrieve them until I go with you."

Annie frowned, confused. "If Auggie and I ever _do _find out where the weapons are, how am I supposed to contact you?"

Ben shook his head frustrated. "I can only be on this world a short time; and only on certain times. I want you to wait for me, till I can protect you."

"Wait for you? What? How am I supposed to wait for a ghost?"

"Tell me where his weapons are hidden, so I will know where to go. I will be here Annie, watching over you every night, until the terrible business is over."

Annie frowned, the entire encounter seeming so implausible and overwhelming. "Why are you doing this for me?" she finally choked out, at a loss of what to ask a ghost.

"Because I love you," Ben replied sincerely. "I've got your back, Annie."

Then, Ben stepped forward. His eyes suddenly seemed like they were on fire, and they held Annie's gaze like a snake holds a mouse's. He leaned forward and kissed Annie, his lips cold as ice. The shock of the whole encounter culminated in that kiss, and Annie collapsed in a dead faint at Ben's feet. In moments, he was gone, and Annie lay unconscious on the dewy, dying grass.

The watcher had seen the whole meeting, and was chuckling to himself. He raced up to Annie's limp form, shoved a vial of old-fashioned smelling salts under her nose, then leaped back into his bushy hiding place as Annie jerked awake. Annie sat up and wildly looked around her for some time. Then, collecting what was left of her nerves, she shakily stood and headed for the garage door. The watcher chuckled; phase two of his plan was complete.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Hi all, thanks to those of you who are reviewing! Hope you are enjoying the story; there's still some twists left, so bear with me. And I hope this is keeping people's interest; it's the first time I've ever written a suspense story before. Thanks!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Covert Affairs or Langley.

When Annie came to work the next morning, Auggie could tell she was not at all well. One moment, she'd be talking extremely fast and aimlessly. The next moment, she'd be silent, her emotions bordering despair. Auggie felt the tension running through her in waves; even people who did not know Annie that well were noticing something was up. John Freeman, the now-irritating budgeter who didn't ever leave, noticed that Annie was very on edge, and Bert asked Auggie privately if Annie was okay.

Auggie had gone from being a concerned friend and brushed-off potential boyfriend to a very worried man who sincerely cared for and loved his woman. Auggie had seen people in shock, acting just the same as Annie was acting now. After a big op, there were usually one or two people like this; either talking so much they couldn't be understood, or not talking at all. The fact that she was doing both things really worried him; Annie was not grounded in reality. And since Annie was so good at hiding her feelings, her incapability of doing so now seemed to shake Auggie to the core; something was dangerously wrong.

Near midday, two things happened. The first thing that happened was Joan ordered Annie home. Annie protested, but Joan must have seen with her own eyes what Auggie could only hear, and Annie had no solid ground to argue with her superior. As Annie was preparing to leave, however, the second big event of the day occurred. Auggie found Valmor's weapon's deposit.

A coded journal entry that Auggie had been trying to crack suddenly succumbed to one of his subroutines, and a city plan of Langley sprang up. The encoded map sorted itself out into a readable plan, and in moments Auggie found what he and Annie had been searching for all week.

"Right on our doorstep!" Auggie exclaimed. Then, after a moment, Auggie realized that Annie probably had no idea what he was talking about. "I found the weapons," Auggie elaborated to a preparing-to-leave Annie. "The last sequence, detailing the exact location of the weapons on the street is hopelessly encrypted. I think it was intentionally damaged somehow by Valmor, but at any rate, his weapons are on the street 2500 block Pillar Ln."

Annie froze in her movements; Auggie momentarily wondered if she had fainted again. However, the next moment, Annie's voice came right above his shoulder, making Auggie jump. "It's a perfect place to store weapons," Annie said clearheadedly. "I see several business buildings, as well as a warehouse. What else is on the street?"

Auggie's fingers ran lightly over his computer's Braille pad. "A small junkyard, an old cemetery, and a couple of old (probably abandoned) houses. Not much else, I'd say."

Annie nodded, then said, "the warehouse would be our best bet. Valmor could pack a ton of weapons in it."

She went silent for a moment, and Auggie began to feel relieved; perhaps Annie was coming back to her senses. Then, Annie said something that made Auggie know for certain she was not well at all.

"Auggie, let's not tell anyone about this until tomorrow, okay?" Annie said lightly, as if keeping a major weapon's depot a secret was a normal part of life.

"Excuse me?" he asked incredulously. He could not believe this was his Annie.

"Leave it for a day. Heck, its been left alone for over ten or so years, by our estimation. Another day isn't going to hurt it."

"Annie, do you even realize what you are saying? We have an obligation here; we have to make sure the weapons don't fall into enemy hands! We know where the depot is, let's just assemble a team and clean up this mess."

"NO!" Annie practically shouted, garnering some stares from the outside offices. She lowered her voice and tried again. "Auggie," she practically pleaded, "Auggie, listen to me. I've got some information that we might be in danger picking up the arms from the warehouse. If we go right now, we'll get badly hurt, maybe even killed. But if we go tomorrow... when there's added protection... just trust me, we'll be okay. You see, I know you don't believe me, but Auggie, if we go today we'll die."

"Oh, and how do you know we will die?" Auggie scowled back.

Annie took that as a serious question, and answered accordingly. "Auggie, I know you think I'm crazy, or at least you'll think I'm crazy after this, but... Auggie, I saw the ghost of Ben Mercer the other night. Ben told me I was in danger; I'm going to die if we go to the warehouse without his protection. You see, Ben can protect me, but he needs to know where I am. And for that to happen, I have to talk to Ben when he comes to visit me tonight. I am unwilling to let even you go to the warehouse; the last thing I need is you dying on me too! Please, Auggie! Please wait until we can have Ben's protection. He promised to come with us and protect us. Please, Auggie, wait until tomorrow. If nothing else, do it for me."

That last bit was a low blow; Auggie had been doing things for Annie ever since she set foot in the CIA; didn't she ever notice? But it was clear as crystal that Annie was not thinking straight, and Auggie knew he couldn't fight her with logic anymore than he could fight her with mission protocol. Auggie sighed a resigned sigh, thankful that his face no longer betrayed emotions as easily as it did when he was sighted.

"Alright, Annie," he said softly. "We'll wait until tomorrow. But you have to promise me that tomorrow, we'll take care of this first thing in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," Annie replied, relieved. "Well, I better get home. I didn't sleep too well at all; once never sleeps well when they are being haunted, you know." She then surprised Auggie by giving him a light kiss on the cheek, and it took all of Auggie's willpower not to kiss her back. After Annie had gone, Auggie took a deep breath.

"She's gone off the deep end," he thought. Yet, it was not like Annie at all to go crazy; she had always been clear and level-headed. Also, she would have had to have been one tough cookie to make it through the intense psychological screening at the farm. "Someone is doing this to Annie; someone set this up," Auggie thought. "_There is no ghost_; Ben is dead. But someone wants something from Annie... and I bet I know what they want."

Curiously, Auggie's fingers ran over the weapon's deposit map again, and they rested on the warehouse. Auggie grinned slightly as a plan began to form in his head; with Joan's help, they would not only recover Valmor's weapons, but rid Annie of her "ghost" as well.

**oOo**

That evening, a team of six highly trained CIA operatives (Jai was one of them) surrounded the empty warehouse, disguised as the dregs of society. In a beaten and battered van, Joan, Bert, John, and Auggie set up shop. A complicated network of satellite threads was set up; sending video feed of the interior of the warehouse into the computer monitors of the van, and Auggie's sharp ears were tuned to the microphones, searching for any noise that might be Annie coming to visit along with her "ghost."

Auggie had reasoned out that "Ben" had to be a living being; whoever hear of a ghost that needed to be told where and when to haunt? No, instead Auggie figured that an enemy (or possibly) rogue agent was manipulating Annie into revealing the location of the weapons deposit. Sure of his theory, Auggie had come up with a plan designed to protect Annie as well as capture the agent. He then presented the entire situation to Joan. Auggie was not completely honest about Annie's mental state; Auggie put forth that the whole idea was a plan they had worked out together (not Auggie coming up with it alone). Joan seemed to take to his plan.

How Auggie outlined the plan was by stating that Annie figured out this "ghost" was an enemy operative, and she planned to set a trap for him by leading him to a warehouse filled with agents. Auggie presented it as a headstrong last minute plan, which explained away the lack of personal safety on Annie's end, but it was a more typical move for inexperienced Annie. The plan got some flack from Joan, but the desire to kill two birds with one stone outweighed the lapses in communication. In the end, six agents were set to storm the false operative, four agents were witnesses, and Joan planned to have another long talk with Annie about filling the gaps in her inadequate training.

Auggie grinned to himself as everyone got into position. He'd found a way to capture an enemy while all the while protecting not only Annie's life but her reputation as well. Once someone is deemed "insane," they are haunted by that determination forever, whether they grow out of it or not. Now, Auggie had a chance to help Annie back to her right mind, while protecting her from harm. It was bound to be a perfect solution.

**oOo**

Annie went to bed dressed in jeans and a thick, warm sweater, prepared this time for a night rendezvous with Ben. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but the exhaustion had been getting to her lately, and sleep she did.

_Annie dreamed she was walking through the park with Auggie. The park was in full bloom; in her dream it was spring, and cherry blossoms wafted gently in the breeze above her. It was warm there, and the gentle breeze was perfumed with the scents of several just-opening flowers. Annie's arm was threaded through Auggie's, and Annie felt like the world was beautiful and at peace._

_"If only I could stay here forever," Annie sighed gently._

_"Why?" Auggie asked kindly._

_"Because the world's a scary place; isn't that enough?" she teased with a wry laugh. After a moment, she sighed again. "Because here everything is clear. Because here, I'm with you and I have no other crazy battles to fight; just the battles of a normal life. It was like this when I was sick in Brazil; everything was peaceful when I was with you."_

_"It wasn't peaceful for me," Auggie remembered. "Seeing you dying again and again like I did. But now, times are different. They are switched. You are the one who has to be the hero now, Annie. For my sake, you have to be!"_

_Annie stopped still in her tracks and looked at Auggie; he did not normally talk like this in her dreams. "Auggie, what's wrong?" Annie asked fearfully._

_Auggie looked down at his side, the motion being strictly a directional cue. Annie's eyes followed, and there she found a knife protruding from his side. Blood spurted out in thick gusts, and Auggie fell to the ground. Annie wrapped him in her arms, all the while calling "No! You can't die on me, Auggie. Do you hear me, August Anderson! You can't die!"_

Annie woke with an exhausted dead feeling, akin to the feeling a soldier has upon waking in a fox hole. Numbly, she got up, and walked to her window. Ben was below, beckoning to her. Annie sighed a hollow, cold sigh, and pulled on her boots. She threw a coat around her, and, almost in a trance, walked down the back stairs to her ghostly escort below.

Across town in the warehouse, Auggie felt a shiver run down his spine. Somehow, Auggie knew Annie would be on her way. And somehow, he felt that he was in grave danger, despite the reinforcements around.

Also across town, the watcher watched preparations for the operation going on. He grinned to himself as he thought of the weapons being discovered at long last; after all, they were _his_ to begin with before that thief Valmor stole them. They would soon be his again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Hope you enjoy the next installment! We still have quite a ways to go, so please stick with me. I know this chapter ends evilly, but I couldn't help it. To continue on would have made it too long... and besides, every good story needs at least one cliffhanger. Or not, but please, just enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Covert Affairs or it's characters, but I do own a broken down van.

Annie blinked dazedly as she looked at Ben glowing eerily from across the yard. He was looking for her, and when he saw her peek around the edge of the house, he walked up to her with a slow deliberate walk.

"Annie," he said, kissing her lightly by way of greeting.

"Ben." Annie wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. He felt substantial, but Annie wasn't sure what was her imagination and what was reality any more. Clearly, Ben did not like Annie clinging so, and he gently but firmly shook her off.

"I found where Valmor's weapons deposit is," Annie said after a moment. Ben's eyes went wide, but his face remained passive. "But if I tell you," continued Annie, "will you meet me and Auggie tomorrow? We need to be protected from whatever future you see."

"I said I'd protect you if you told me where the weapons were. Now, tell me, and I promise you I will be there protecting you tomorrow."

Annie nodded. "The weapons are in a big warehouse on 2500 block Pillar Ln."

Ben nodded, and gave a cold sigh. "Such faith!" he said tenderly, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "So naïve. I promise you, you will not be harmed. But alas, there is no more time! Now, I must leave you."

Annie looked at Ben's shimmering skin, and after a moment, whispered huskily, "I wish you could stay longer."

"No," Ben replied, moving out of reach of her arms. "I must go now... and save what's left of my strength for tomorrow. You will need all of it you can get."

Annie nodded sadly, and turned around to walk back into the garage. The meeting had been quicker than she had imagined, with Ben speaking stranger than she had ever know him to speak, and she felt almost cheated somehow. As soon as she got to the back door, however, she turned again to say one more farewell to Ben... and saw him strolling out the side gate of her sister's house.

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. _Ghosts didn't stroll_, and they certainly did not walk out of a yard when vanishing would "conserve" more strength. Without really processing why she did it, Annie began to follow "Ben" through the streets. She tailed him to a street corner, where he hailed a taxi.

"Ghosts don't ride in taxis," Annie thought, her brain digesting the absurdity of this statement and replying that it would make a wonderful title for a childrens' book. She then hailed a taxi of her own, telling the driver right away to go to Pillar Ln. Annie hoped that Ben's taxi would veer off another street, and her suspicions would be unfounded... but the taxi in front of her kept a clear straight course for the dark street. Annie began to shiver with rage as suddenly the fog in her head lifted and everything became amazingly clear.

"Ben's no ghost," she thought angrily to herself. "I don't know who he is, but he's not _my_ Ben and he's not a ghost." Annie's thoughts logically led to the next realization; she had been played.

"All he wanted was the location of Valmor's weapons stockpile," Annie concluded grimly. She felt her blood begin to pulse through her veins in rage, and took a deep breath to calm herself. She didn't know how anyone could have pulled off an operation like this; it would have to be someone with CIA access. Clearly, someone who knew enough about her life that they could plan this charade and hire a man who could look very much like Ben in the dark. Someone who knew enough about Annie's personal history that they could manipulate her into giving important information away.

"I may not have a job after this," Annie thought as the taxi took the final turn onto Pillar Ln., passing the corner cemetery and pulling up to the deserted warehouse. "I may not have a job, but one way or another, the Ben impersonator is going down."

**oOo**

While Annie was en-route, Auggie squeezed his stress relief nervously. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong, but he wasn't sure of what. He knew Annie was safe; "Ben" wouldn't take her with him to steal the weapons shipment, but he was still unexplainably uneasy.

Earlier in the day, Joan and a team led by John Freeman (who apparently had far more power than Joan, being a high-up from the Pentagon) had raided the warehouse and had found the massive weapons stockpile. There wasn't time to transport the weapons before they reeled in the big one, so they had left the weapons stored in their boxes. John and his team then guarded the weapons for the rest of the day until Joan returned with her team. John had sent the other agents home after hearing her call, so by the time Joan and her crew came in, everything was quiet and ready for rigging.

Now came the hardest part of the evening; the waiting. Auggie felt that his nerves were made of raw wires, he was so jumpy. It wasn't that Auggie was unhappy about doing the OP; far from it, he was glad to be back doing field work. But for some crazy reason, Auggie felt a sense of impending doom. And then, Joan's voice brought him out of his musings.

"Here he comes," Jai's voice cackled over the microphones. Auggie listened intently as a taxi drove up, and a person leaped out. The taxi driver sped away, unwilling to spend more time than they had to in this bad section of city, and Ben marched into the warehouse.

"The weapons are stockpiled in the corner," Jai whispered on VOX. "He's heading over to them right now."

Auggie was about to reply with the order to go once Ben opened the box when he heard another car drive up. "Jai?" he whispered. "Who just drove up?"

"What, there's another?" Jai growled. "Wait... Ben's opening up one of the boxes!"

Auggie heard the box creaking open, then suddenly... all hell broke loose.

"WHAT!" he heard "Ben" scream. "NO! It's a trap!" Suddenly, Ben took off running.

"Jai, go go go! Target's fleeing the scene!" Auggie yelled.

"On my way," replied Jai; he had already started his pursuit.

Suddenly, Annie also was on the scene. He'd recognize her walking anywhere, but Bert had seen her pull up in the cab. Annie's presence wasn't totally unexpected for Joan, but Auggie knew she wasn't supposed to be there. "ANNIE!" he yelled over the mikes, hoping someone would be close enough for her to overhear. "Annie, get down!"

Suddenly, gunshots rang out in the warehouse. Joan and Bert ran out of the van, both of them pulling out their guns. "Security is breached!" shouted Joan to Auggie as she ran out. "Auggie, John, stay here!"

Auggie scowled, feeling horribly confused. He wished he could see what was going on, wished he could do _something_, but he couldn't. Then, that creepy feeling of doom began to crawl up his spine again. The mikes had gone dead.

"NO!" Auggie called in frustration. "Of all the things to go wrong!"

John's voice spoke up, surprisingly calm in all of the chaos. "It'll all work itself out; there are eight of you and only one of him."

Auggie scowled. "Two of him, I'd think. I've been wondering... you couldn't pull a job like this from the outside. Someone would need to be on the inside for this bizarre plot to even begin to work... the whole thing just doesn't make any sense."

"Really?" said John. "I wonder why?"

Auggie blinked in confusion at the weird way John's phrase came out sounding, when suddenly, a loud shot rang out and the van door opened.

"John, they got me in the leg!" an unfamiliar voice stated. "John, it's all over. The weapons are gone, everything's a catastrophe, and... why are you looking at me like that? NO!"

Suddenly, Auggie heard the fearful sound of a knife plunging into human flesh. He cringed as he heard "Ben's" body drop, then sighed in relief when he heard Ben cry out.

"Ahh! What did you do that for... my arm... AHHH!"

"I did that so you could remember what I will be doing to your children if you do not cooperate."

Auggie's eyes widened reflexively; John must be the coordinator of all of this. But before Auggie could even get his bearing to attack, he heard Joan's voice coupling with Annie's, heading for the direction of the van. They were very close.

"Sorry about this," John Freeman's cold voice rang out. "But I can't have you piecing together what you've heard tonight. It's a pity, because you are one of the most intelligent agents they have."

Suddenly, Auggie felt an impact hit him on the side near his ribs. For a moment, his ears were hypersensitive; he could hear everything going on, from Annie's running gait outside to John's sudden cry as he stabbed his own shoulder and then slapped the bloodied knife into "Ben's" dominant hand. Auggie tried to shakily stand, and that's when it hit him that something was very wrong with his body; it wasn't moving at all like it should.

Auggie managed to shakily stand and reached a hand down to his side. He felt blood pouring out of the wound, and Auggie froze as realization dawned through his foggy mind; he had been stabbed. Suddenly, the wound began to burn as if he were on fire, and Auggie collapsed in a heap near the van's soundboard. A few moments later, Auggie heard Joan jump into the van, followed on her heels by Annie.

"NO! Oh, no no no no no!" shouted a terrified Annie. Auggie suddenly felt Annie's arms around him, and she propped his head up in her lap, making it amazingly better to breathe because the blood drained from the back of his throat. From far away, Auggie heard the sound of Joan calling 911, of John explaining _his_ version of what happened, of "Ben's" pain-filled groans and Jai's tough guy talk to the prisoner. Annie stroked Auggie's face gently, and all the other sounds faded away. All he could feel were her hands linking him to reality, and it seemed as if the entire world was at peace in the midst of the chaos. He would have liked to stay in that zone forever, but his brain was shutting down, and even the touch of Annie's hands faded away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **Sorry this took so long; the plot was a little thick to iron out. I'm learning that you have to be careful what you say in previous chapters, because your words will come back to bite you. Ah well, it is fun!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters of Covert Affairs.

Everything was chaos. As soon as Joan wrestled her way into the van, a sight that looked like it had come straight from a slasher movie greeted her eyes. Her mind went into emergency mode; first, Joan called 911. Their response time in Langley was very good; it usually only took them five minutes or so to get somewhere, because of the many high profile citizens. John quickly summarized the situation for her; Ben had entered the van and stabbed Auggie. Then, John had wrestled Ben's knife away and had sliced Ben's arm open. Ben had managed to grab the knife back and stab John in the shoulder before John had knocked him to the floor, which was were Joan had come in.

Jai immediately tackled Ben, kicking the knife far from him and telling him that if he moved, he died. Annie ran over to Auggie, propping him up so that he could breathe while jamming her thick, black sweater over the wound (she had been wearing a light gray tee-shirt underneath). Joan dealt with her man down first, telling Auggie to hold on, everything was going to be alright. Then, Joan pulled one of her extra team members over; there were five extra agents for backup.

"Cameron," Joan directed. "I want you to take Bert and the other four OP agents and scour this entire warehouse. "Find those weapons! And don't touch anything until Jeremy photographs everything."

"Yes ma'm," Cameron replied, already moving to round up his team.

Joan turned her attention onto John next. "Where are the weapons?" she demanded. "Your team was responsible for making sure they weren't touched!"

John shrugged, looking terribly confused. "I have no idea!" he responded. "They were there; how can they have disappeared into thin air?"

Joan was about to reply when the sound of sirens came into her hearing range. "Okay," she ordered. "Everybody OUT! Let's give the medics a chance to do their jobs here."

Jai pulled a moaning Ben out of the van; Joan could see that Jai had applied pressure to the artery that John had severed when he wrestled Ben's knife away. Jai caught Joan's glance and nodded. "I want him to survive to enjoy all the years in prison he will get for this," Jai explained tersely.

Joan nodded and turned her attention back to the rest of the van. "Okay, Annie and John, out! Annie, don't argue; Auggie needs room right now and you being in the way is NOT going to help. John, follow us down to the hospital; that shoulder needs to be examined. Take Annie with you. And John, do NOT leave that hospital until we get a chance to debrief!" And just like that, Annie and John found themselves out of the van and into the street.

"What are we going to do?" Annie practically wailed; she was covered in Auggie's blood and was shivering from shock. John looked at Annie, then looked at his own shoulder. The wound wasn't too bad... it could be left untreated for quite some time, actually.

"Come with me," John said, pulling Annie away from the flashing red lights and the protective circle of other agents. "We'll grab my car and head for the hospital; I heard one of the medics say that they're taking him to St. Luke's." Then, John turned and began walking towards the cemetery, an evil grin on his face.

oOo

The cemetery on Pillar Ln. was an old cemetery. A _very _old cemetery. Headstones were ornate, complete with stone angels and other various decorative grave items. The grounds themselves were ill-kept, the trees and bushes so overgrown that the entire place looked like a Gothic jungle. In the center of the graveyard stood an old ornate mausoleum, the gargoyles flanking the entrance grinning like menacing harbingers of doom. It was a quiet place; a very quiet and secluded place.

"Just the perfect place for disposing a body," thought John with a grin. To Annie, however, John said, "Hey, I parked on the other side of the graveyard, okay? We're gonna cut through, follow me." John waited until they were deep in the bushes, close to the mausoleum. Then, he turned around and glanced a rather shocked glance at Annie. "Did you see that?" he called.

"What?" Annie asked, searching the area around her, confused.

"It just went into the mausoleum! Hurry!"

Annie was confused, but she followed John as he ran into the old stone building. The doors, though old, were a very strong hardwood, and as Annie ran through them, she heard them heavily shut and bolt behind her.

"John? What's going on?" Annie looked around her in terror. The mausoleum was dark, and Annie could just make out John's silhouette. Then, with a ultra bright glare in the dim light, John switched on a flashlight.

John was pointing a gun at Annie, and grinning menacingly. Annie froze, her whole body feeling like it was going to shake apart. She looked around her, noticing that all the weapons that were supposed to have been in the warehouse were here, re-crated and stacked in the middle of the mausoleum. Along with the bodies of John's team of agents.

Annie suppressed a shriek, just stared at John wild eyed for some moments. John leered at her. "Don't you want to know how I pulled off this whole stunt, and why? That's what they all want to know before they die. But with you, it was so easy! To the last, everything played into my hands. But sit down, my dear, you look like you are going to faint."

Annie nodded dumbly and shakily sat on one of the boxes of weapons. John grinned and began his monologue.

"A long while back, I knew Ben Mercer," he stated. "Ben and I went through training together. Only my name wasn't John Freeman then; the real John Freeman is at the bottom of the river somewhere. I was one of Ben's fellow agents; a partner, if you will. My real name is Julius McGreave.

Anyway, Ben and I used to do all the weapons busts for the CIA. Undercover weapons busts are a very serious and deadly business; and though we were paid well for it, I thought it was never enough. Ben had other ideas about morality, but both of us worked well together. Once, we had to steal highly dangerous radioactive waste particles from a certain governmental facility. Ben didn't want to give the waste to the government though, because the particles were particularly pure and refined (too refined from the country they were stolen from). Suspecting the waste was just a ploy to justify hostilities between two countries, Ben decided to do away with the OP; to go rouge and pretend that the weapons deposit didn't exist. Ben and I split the weapons in half. Ben hid his (to this day I have no idea where they are). But I sold mine to Valmor, who then preceded to rob me by not paying me as he had promised. My reward was the secret of my betrayal kept from my superiors.

I had already gone rogue, so there was no real point to my honoring Valmor's agreement. But before I went after him and my weapons, I had to make his threat null and void. I concocted a plan where my "death" was carried out and was "witnessed" by several people. The agency declared me dead, and I was forced to go off the radar for many months. Then, when I was certain no one would be looking for me, I went after Valmor.

Unfortunately by this time, Valmor was dead. He had scattered his arms all over the world in various bolt-holes, and no one knew where they were. I was enraged; how dare someone take my revenge from me. Those weapons were my retirement fund; I was not about to cut my losses.

Then, I heard through the grapevine that the CIA had been the ones to keep all of Valmor's records. Determined, I prepared to walk right into the lion's den. I killed off that little pipsqueak John Freeman and took his identity; I look just like him now, though it took me a while to change my appearance every day. I had to take some time to do some research, too. When spying, you don't want to become anyone too powerful. The best disguise out of any is a bookkeeper or an accountant, because they are _in the know_ about everything and have total power, yet are still anonymous.

Then, another trick of fate came my way; Ben died. With him died all my hopes of getting back the arms Valmor hid, or so I thought, for I had planned for Ben to assist me on locating Valmor's weapons. And then, one day, as I was rummaging through the CIA personnel files, I found a very interesting fact; "Annie Walker is the bait for catching Ben Mercer."

Now that was gold! If I played my cards right, I could figure out the weapons location without compromising my identity again a second time. I headed down to the CIA, and ordered Joan (my old boss) around a bit to establish my authority. I demanded that she find the location of Valmor's weapon's deposit for budget reasons, and she put you and Auggie on the case. I then spent a couple of days watching you. I watched your routine, how you interacted with your "partner." I listened in on your conversations in the park, I shadowed you in the streets, I hid in the bushes in your backyard. I even made sure an agent told Bert the "ghost partner" story; in reality, I made the whole thing up! I planned everything out, step by step, and the funny thing is you never noticed.

Last, all that was left to do was grab Ben's double. Ben had a friend that looked very much like him (though not quite like him), but in the dark and rippling amber streetlights, would pass for him very well. To a distraught female agent who just lost the love of her life, he would be indistinguishable. I threatened him with his family (a very effective way of threatening a man), and made him act out that ghostly charade. We even went so far as to cover him with glow-in-the-dark body paint and place dry ice around your yard. And, as absurd as the entire attempt was, you swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.

What I really didn't count on was the ever-present Auggie. Not only did he keep you on the ground; he set up this entire OP in order to capture Ben. Having to move fast (having only four hours between the time my "team" was to set up and Joan was to come), I had my "team" repack this mausoleum with the weapons cache. Then, I executed them all, so that no one would be able to forewarn Joan with breached protocol. I was going to just slip away in the confusion Ben caused, but no! Ben had to spill the beans to Auggie, and _I _had to re-threaten him and kill off Auggie, who'd testify against me in a heartbeat. Aware that everything had gone haywire, I tricked Joan into thinking I was hurt, grabbed you while you were still in shock, then brought you here."

Finally, "John" (or Julius rather) stopped for breath. Annie felt extremely queasy; she was not going to get out of the Mausoleum alive! The horror of the entire situation combined with the fact that she could be loosing Auggie at this very moment overwhelmed her; she felt extremely faint. "No, you can't faint now," she scolded herself. "If you faint now, you'll never wake back up again."

Julius unlatched the door and creaked it open a little. A truck had silently pulled up while he had been monologuing; it was the groundskeeper's stake-bed truck. The truck was filled with tree cuttings, but there was a hole that would accommodate all of Julius's weapons crates and the bodies he had collected in the cemetery.

"My ride is here," smiled Julius grandly. "And now, my dear, it is time for you to join your other agents in their eternal rest. Sleep well; goodness knows you haven't been getting enough sleep lately as it is." He chuckled manically, and aimed his gun.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the week-long gap in chapters; midterms hit, and I was using all my writing skills to answer what seemed like a thousand essay questions (16 altogether). Enjoy this chapter; I'm thinking we have about another three or four till the end. Thanks for reading, and please review!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Covert Affairs or it's characters. Agent Cameron, Bert, and I'm afraid to say Julius are all mine, though.

Time seemed to stand still for Annie. She saw Julius aiming his gun, and she knew that somewhere the motion was fluid and quick, lasting only seconds to get the perfect angle for the shot. And yet, it was as if an entire lifetime passed in those two seconds. Julius's story had flipped a switch in Annie's head; Annie felt her reasoning return like a cold wave of water waking her up from a sound sleep. She no longer felt confused or muddled; everything stood out in perfect clarity, and though she was staring death in the face, she was glad to feel her balanced mind return.

"You have to be the heroine of your own story!" Danielle's words ran through her head.

"You have to be the hero now, Annie! You have to, for my sake!" Auggie's words almost made him a tangible presence in the room.

Annie took a deep breath, and the world seemed to speed back up into normal time. Everything came back into focus. Annie stared at Julius, who was easing his finger onto the trigger and bracing his arm for the impact. She wished she had a weapon of some sort with which to fight back, then she suddenly had an idea. Crying out with a pathetic sounding cry, Annie "fainted," crumpling down at the base of the boxes so her back was against them and her legs bunched tight against her chest.

"Oh, this is too easy," she heard Julius laugh as he un-cocked and re-holstered his gun. "Pathetically easy, in fact. It's hard to believe this little wimp is an agent. Oh well, strangling is a much cleaner way to go." With that, Julius stepped forward.

Annie forced herself to remain motionless. She heard the slight crack of Julius's knee joints as he knelt down over her, and just as he was about to put his hands around Annie's neck, Annie exploded into action. Annie kicked out from her core, the box behind her back taking all her weight and giving her two times the strength in her legs. Julius stumbled backward, surprise etched on his face, and the flashlight went rolling.

Annie scowled as the world around her was plunged into pitch darkness; the flashlight had gone out when it hit the stone floor. Some light shone faintly from the slightly open doorway, but there was not enough for Annie's straining eyes to focus on.

"Auggie sees like this all the time," Annie thought, the darkness reminding her of him with a sudden pang. The thought had distracted her from her fight, though, and suddenly, she felt Julius grip her arm. The world became a whirl of disoriented black and gray as Annie was flung through the air, landing hard into the mausoleum's wall. Quickly, Annie scrambled to her feet. She used her hearing to pinpoint where Julius was, and leaped at him in the darkness. Her booted feet connected with Julius's chest; she heard a satisfying crack as one of his ribs broke. Julius was too battle trained to succumb to the pain; he reacted to his broken rib by grabbing Annie's foot and batting her out of the air. Annie landed with a painful thud on concrete floor, and suddenly Julius's hand was around her throat.

"And now you die!" he snarled, pushing her throat with two hands so hard that he effectively cut off all her oxygen. Annie knew she only had a few moments of coherent thought left, and with a desperate grab she reached her hand out towards where she thought she had seen Julius holster his gun. Her hand connected with the cold metal, and in a second she had yanked it free, cocked the gun, and fired.

The blast from the gun was very loud, leaving Annie's ears ringing. Julius had taken the brunt of the shot, but it had been in such close vicinity that the gunpowder had burned Annie. Julius's hands relaxed around Annie's throat almost instantly; in a few seconds, he was slumped lifeless over Annie, pinning her to the ground. Annie struggled to get away from Julius, wiggling for all she was worth to get out from under the steady stream of Julius's blood. She gasped the air gratefully, the stars around her vision fading. After a few moments, Annie carefully inched to the door. The driver in the stake bed truck was still there, waiting for Julius's signal. Annie thought for a moment. It was still very dark; the headlights on the vehicle had been turned off. Annie grabbed Julius's gun and stuffed it into her waistband. Then, she grabbed one of the weapons boxes and yanked it open. Inside were sealed canisters of nuclear particles. Though there were not that many, they were very heavy, and it took Annie a moment to wrangle them free from the packaging. Then, Annie replaced the lid on the wooden box, picked up the empty box, and held it out in front of her. She walked up to the door and kicked it open with her feet, hoping that the box would disguise who she was long enough for her to draw her gun.

"It sure took you long enough!" called the driver as Annie confidently approached. "I was about to go gunning for you!"

The driver climbed out of the driver's seat and walked back to help Annie (who he thought was Julius) load the weapons. When he turned the corner of the truck, though, he was surprised and somewhat bewildered to find himself looking down the barrel of a gun.

"If you value your life," Annie said gravely, "you will walk towards that warehouse now! I will be behind you the entire way, and if you run any other direction than where I have told you to go, you will be shot. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," the driver replied.

The driver obviously did value his life, for he did exactly as Annie had asked and in moments, they were once again out in the open. Agent Cameron saw their approach, and his eyes widened in concern. "Annie, are you okay?" he shouted.

Annie remembered that she was splattered with blood, and she hurried to reassure Cameron. "I'm fine," she stated, "but Agent John and his accomplice here tried to kill me!"

Agent Cameron quickly hid his look of surprise under a mask of ferocity. He nearly ripped the driver apart while frisking him, and if the driver ever had any thoughts come across his mind of making a run for it, they were long gone now.

Once Julius's driver was cuffed, though, Cameron turned and looked at Annie questioningly. Annie explained to him what had happened; Cameron's eyes opened incredulously, then clouded with grief when he heard about his fellow agents dead in the mausoleum.

"Joan has to come back here right away," he choked out; one of the agents on "John's" team had been his partner in years past.

"Where is Joan?" asked Annie.

"She went with Ben and Auggie; Ben needed his artery stitched back up, and Auggie... we've heard no word as of yet. But this is too much to bear! Four agents that traitor killed off! And if Auggie dies..."

"He won't." Annie stated flatly. "Now, get Joan on the phone and get her out here. I'm going to go to the hospital."

"Wait!" Cameron called, stepping in front of Annie. "You can't go yet! You're the only one who knows what happened here!"

"You know too; I just told you! Look, Cameron, I know you're upset about your partner. But if I don't get to that hospital, my partner may die as well! He needs support right now, and I intend to give that to him! Are you really going to stop me?"

Cameron scowled for a moment, grief mixing oddly with... respect? "I'll tell Joan what you said happened in the cemetery," he said at last. "But she'll probably want a statement from you tonight. And here, wear my jacket over that tee shirt. They'll not let you into the hospital looking like that!"

"Thank you," Annie replied as she buttoned the long, over-sized overcoat and began walking towards the street. "St. Luke's, right?"

"Yes," Cameron called after her.

**oOo**

When Annie arrived at the hospital, Joan had already left for Pillar Ln. Jai had gone with her; "Ben" was in a hospital bed guarded by two very tough-looking cops. It didn't take Annie too long to find the emergency unit; the hospital was a smaller one that fairly vibrated with the sound of incoming sirens.

Annie walked down the straight white halls until she came up to the emergency waiting room. "I'm here for August Anderson," she stated to the tired-looking nurse behind the counter.

"Relation?" the woman queried.

"Girlfriend, and emergency contact," she half-lied. She felt bad about saying she was Auggie's girlfriend; after all, nothing was settled. But she was a friend of his, and a girl, and one of his emergency contacts.

The nurse scowled as she searched her list for Auggie. "Room 211," she finally said. "He'll be coming out of surgery shortly."

Annie blinked in surprise then nodded out a brisk "thanks." She didn't realize that she had been delayed long enough for Auggie to have gone through surgery, and the realization struck her with the urgent need to call her sister; Danielle may already be up preparing for the day. Annie went down the hall and found Auggie's room, vacant for the moment. She picked up her cell and called Joan's number (the Smithsonian director number).

"Yes?" Joan answered.

"Joan, it's Annie. What's Auggie's cover story going to be? I have to let my family know where I am, and the doctors and nurses here are bound to be asking."

"He was knifed outside the twenty-four hour convenience store."

"Really?"

"What more did you expect? Things like this happen every day in big cities... and we were in a bad neighborhood. The paramedics who responded to us know what is really going on, but I wouldn't blab the cover story so freely to anyone at the hospital; it might create confusion between those who really know what is going on and those that overhear strange bits of information. There is a twenty-four hour convenience store a couple of blocks away; the official report states that Auggie was knifed there. How is he?"

"Just coming out of surgery, so I don't know," Annie replied.

"Call me the moment you hear something. In the meantime, stay put! I need to interview you later, and I don't want you running off. Bye, Annie."

"Bye," said Annie, a little coldly. Like there was anywhere else she wanted to go right at this moment.

After hanging up with Joan, Annie called her sister. Poor Danielle practically had a heart attack (Annie found out the time; it was apparently five thirty and Danielle didn't get up till six) hearing that Annie was at the hospital, but when Annie clarified the reason why Danielle calmed slightly down. She was still worried for Auggie's health (and her sister's sanity if another of her boyfriends bit the dust; what was _with_ Annie's luck these days?), but Annie talked her into a much calmer state, talking the knife wound down and sounding like everything was going to be fine. With Danielle finally in a calm state and promising to come by as soon as she got the chance (with a change of clothes), Annie hung up the phone. She looked around the empty, cold room, and sank gratefully into a chair by the bedside. Now all she could do was wait.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: **Hello all! If I have any readers left after my long absence, I want to apologize. Mid terms took a lot longer than was expected; sometimes, I think teachers have a conspiracy to assign projects when all the other teachers are assigning them. But we are very close to the end; with the holiday coming up, I'll probably be able to finish. ABOUT THIS CHAPTER- Bear with me! I never write character death, so don't be afraid to read on.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Covert Affairs or its characters.

But waiting Auggie out was more of a challenge than Annie thought it would be. First, her sister Danielle got to the hospital _much_ faster than Annie had anticipated. Annie had been sprawled in a chair, and as a result Cameron's jacket had slipped open, revealing her bloodstained attire. After another round of sister hysterics, Annie was ushered off to a shower in the vacant room. She showered rather quickly, feeling awkward (the nurses didn't exactly know she was using Auggie's shower), then dressed in record speed. But God bless Danielle; she had brought sweats and a sweater instead of Annie's usual attire.

"Thanks for coming so quickly," Annie said quietly as she shook out her hair over the heater in the room. Auggie still wasn't there yet, and Annie was getting nervous.

"Annie, what on earth happened?" Danielle asked, sounding calmer now that Annie no longer looked like she had escaped a slasher movie. "And don't give me the runaround either!"

Annie took a deep breath. She had come up with a good story in the shower, and she steadied her voice for it. "Auggie called me at around midnight. He was sick with a cold and needed medicine badly. He tried to get to the corner drugstore on his own, but it was closed. So, he got in a cab and told the driver to take him to the nearest open store.

The driver decided to cheat him and drove him for a really long time, racking up a big bill. Auggie got mad and yelled at the driver, so he let Auggie out in front of a convince store in the bad section of town. Auggie didn't know how to get home, so he called me and asked if I could pick him up. I said I would, and I took a cab out there."

"I was wondering why you didn't take your car," Danielle piped up.

"I was really tired and didn't want to drive, but I had to be there for him! I got to the convenience store and met Auggie. We were just heading out when..."

Here, Annie's voice cracked, and Danielle's throat tightened in sympathy. The two girls shared a brief sisterly hug, then Annie took a deep breath. Oh, how she HATED lying to her sister! Yet, as Annie spun her story, she found herself half believing it. It was easier by far to believe Auggie had been simply knifed; the Julius affair was much, _much_ more complicated.

"We were just heading out when... a man in a mask tried to grab my purse. Auggie tried to fight him; he was being gallant for me, you know, like a protector. But then... then the guy knifed Auggie. He got away (without my bag), and I was left there holding Auggie as he was bleeding to death. A nice man lent me his coat so I'd be kept warm when I went into shock... and Danielle, I'm so scared!" With that, Annie uncharacteristically burst into tears.

Danielle was as sympathetic as ever, and soon both girls were weeping. Finally, Annie got all of her tears out of her (so it seemed), and the sisters were wiping each others faces when Joan walked in.

Joan posed as a member of the police, and soon Annie was in a room with her describing what "really" happened. It seemed to take forever. _Finally_, Annie was allowed to go back to waiting for Auggie, and saw with relief that Auggie was finally in his room.

He was hooked up to several machines that made the small sterile space seem like it was filled with wires. Several monitors beeped (the heart monitor was the loudest), and Annie felt like the room was extremely small. Even Auggie seemed small; the tubes that cocooned his body made him look frail.

A doctor was in the room; Annie hardly heard what he was saying to her. Danielle picked up the conversation for her; Annie later found out that Auggie's right lung had collapsed due to the knife wound. The lung was re-inflated, and Auggie was given a couple units of blood to make up for what he had lost. All in all, the surgery had been simple (no complications because Auggie was in such good health), and Auggie was expected to make a full recovery, if his body survived the shock of the trauma inflicted on it. The next few hours were crucial; Auggie still hadn't regained consciousness, and his pulse was very weak and thready. His condition was still recognized as critical; once his body stabilized itself, he would be on the road to recovery. But his body was not there yet.

Usually, the doctor wouldn't want anyone in the room with a patient that was recuperating from such a massive trauma. But just Annie's presence seemed to make a difference to this young man; oddly enough, his pulse had marginally stabilized after hearing her voice. The doctor had seen some strange things in his time, and he knew from experience that for some patients, the best medicine was the presence of their loved ones.

"One of you may stay with him," the Doctor stated, looking from Danielle to Annie, unsure of where their relationship stood.

Danielle immediately got up. "I have to be getting home anyway; I left everything in a mess. Annie, if you need anything, just let me know. I'll be back to visit you this evening, okay? Bring you dinner?"

Annie didn't think she could ever eat again, but she didn't want to hurt her sister's feelings. Annie smiled a strained smile and said gently, "Thanks. I look forward to it."

Danielle practically beamed at this and then took her leave. Annie sat by Auggie's bedside, feeling as though the world had ended. Gently, she picked up Auggie's hand and stroked it, willing him to wake up. He didn't twitch a muscle. Sighing, Annie sat down in a chair and pulled it up to Auggie's bed. She held onto Auggie's hand tightly, willing him to be strong (though not saying a word, lest the doctors want to throw her out).

Time seemed to stop. It was the longest afternoon of Annie's life, to say the least. She sat by her friend's bedside and didn't move; she couldn't even think! Without Auggie, life seemed colorless. She felt nothing in her heart but sorrow, and some dread that if she left Auggie's side for a moment, he would slip away from her forever. It was getting harder and harder to organize her thoughts; after all, Annie had been awake most of the night. Her entire body felt numb, and as the afternoon wore on and the nurses changed shifts, Annie began to feel her brain shut down. Remembering that she sometimes walked with Auggie in dreams, Annie decided a power nap would be a good thing. Annie hunched over in her chair, using the side of Auggie's bed as a pillow. It was an extraordinarily uncomfortable position, but in moments Annie's exhaustion took over and she was asleep.

_Annie looked around her. The park was not in full bloom anymore; all the leaves were brown and red. They were hard, and crackled in the wind. Annie looked around her as fall claimed the park. Normally, Annie loved the beautiful colors of the fall. But now, the colored leaves seemed to mock her. _

_"We're all dying," they seemed to laugh. "Our time of death is here. There is nothing new anywhere, no new bud. Summer has come and gone, and so have we."_

_Annie frowned as she walked among the trees, leaves swirling in the breeze before her. "Auggie?" she called quietly. "Auggie, are you here?"_

_Annie certainly felt his presence, but it was very weak. Frowning, Annie wrapped her warm coat around her and set off into the park, searching. Dead leaves crackled under her feet rhythmically as she trudges, their rustling sigh the only sound in the unnaturally quiet world. Mist began to roll in over the mountains, dampening every noise, until even the sound of Annie's walking was stifled. Then, when Annie felt as though she had been walking forever, she spotted him. _

_Auggie was laying in a small dip in the land, his back against a tree. He was as pale as the mist around them, and his dark clothing made him look even more lifeless. The vibrant red and orange of the leaves around him had been dampened by the mist, almost representing a rather macabre piece of art Annie had been bidding for last week. Annie ran up to him and gently eased him into her lap. His brown eyes opened weakly._

_"Annie?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. _

_Annie smiled. "I'm here," she replied. _

_Auggie grinned weakly. "I wasn't sure you'd come," he said._

_Annie scowled. "What do you mean? Of course I'd come for you!"_

_Auggie gave a genuine smile at the indignation in Annie's voice. "I'm so tired," he sighed. "What happened again?"_

_"You were stabbed by "John," who wasn't even really John. You had a collapsed lung. The doctors say you'll be okay if you can last through the night; they're very hopefully. But you have to fight! You've got to be strong, okay? You have to pull through this."_

_Auggie was silent for a long moment as he processed all this. "Why?" Auggie finally asked._

_The question caught Annie off guard. "Why what?" she asked._

_"Why do I need to pull through? Why do I need to be strong?"_

_Annie understood the question then, and it cut her like a sharp knife. "Of course, Auggie doesn't know you love him," her mind admonished. "He thinks you are just being a good friend. And who could blame him? When have you ever shown him any of your feelings? How would he know you loved him in return?"_

_Annie took a deep breath. "You have to stay, Auggie. You have to, because I love you. I didn't notice the love before, because it grew over time. It grew strong and slow, like a tree. I didn't notice it because it wasn't loud and flashing and blaring. But now I realize what a great gift it is that I was throwing back in your face, and now I understand the pain you felt when I wouldn't reciprocate it. I feel that way now; if you were to die, I'd live that pain out for the rest of my life."_

_"Could you bear it?" asked Auggie._

_Annie thought for a long moment. "No," she said at last. "No, I couldn't bear it. I'd live on, understand that. But it wouldn't be much of a life without you, Auggie."_

_"A life without color. A life blind," Auggie stated, almost bitterly. "That's what someone once told me lost-love was."_

_Annie sighed sadly. "I'd learn to live blind if only I could be with you," she whispered._

_Auggie's unseeing eyes opened wide. "You really care for me that much?" he asked. "I'm not just fantasying this moment?"_

_"If you are, then you really need to work on your creative skills," Annie laughed. "I could think of a whole lot more places to be hanging out than a creepy park that looks like it got it's backdrop out of a horror movie."_

_Auggie smiled. "How about a cafe in Paris?" he teased with a grin._

_"So you can go all 'spy' on me? I think not. How sad is it that I'm a spy, and yet I still haven't gotten to Paris?"_

_Auggie's smile faded. "Annie, I feel really strange," he said after a moment._

_Annie tensed trepadaciously. "Strange how?"_

_"I feel... Annie? ANNIE! AHH!"_

Annie was jolted awake by the sounds of the heart monitor going flat. In seconds, there were several doctors in the room. Annie stood by the walls and stared as the doctors perfectly depicted the "crashing and clearing" scene from hundreds of medical movies throughout the years. The world moved in a blur as the medics tried to keep that frail human body beating and breathing... but it was all to no avail. The heart monitor continued to ring flat, and finally, someone gave up and turned it off.

The doctors filed out one by one, beaten, angry, and sad. Annie stood by the wall, disbelief at what had happened being etched out in her face.

"Auggie?" she asked, terrified. "AUGGIE! You can't do this, Auggie!" Auggie remained motionless, and Annie broke into sobs. "No, no no! It wasn't supposed to be like this; you were going to fight it! Oh Auggie, no!"

Annie moved back towards him and sat down in her chair by his bedside. She picked up his still warm hand and laid her head down on it. Sobs racked her body.

"Please, please," she gasped. "Please, no! Auggie, you can't... I love you."

Then suddenly, Annie's world began to shake.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** So, last chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm not big on long hospital scenes; I don't know enough about medicine to keep the doctors who read these stories happy, and my only experience with hospitals has been waiting for family members to recover while watching Bonanza marathons on TV land. I thought I'd end it simply; if you think it needs more, let me know and I may write an epilogue. Otherwise... please read and review, and thanks so much for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Covert Affairs or its characters.

"Annie?" called a very familiar and somewhat frightened voice. "Annie, what's wrong? Are you okay? Wake up!"

Annie jolted awake, feeling as though the world were upside down and backwards. The first thing she noticed were the incessant bleating of the heart monitors; beeping with a steady, regular rhythm. She blinked in confusion; Auggie's monitors had been turned off! Then, as the rest of her body slowly shuddered to life, Annie noticed that Auggie's hand was still warm (though wet from tears) and he was still breathing. Darkness lurked at the edge of the hospital window; Annie had slept much longer than she had planned.

Danielle was the other person in the room; a plate of food had been deposited on the small bedside table. Her arms were around her sister, and as Annie's slow-to-register mind finally came on-line, Danielle was catching her up to speed.

"You had a nightmare, sis. A bad one! I'm surprised the nurses didn't come in and kick you out; they must have not heard you. You were yelling and crying..."

Annie frowned, feeling embarrassed. "I dreamed that Auggie died," Annie said after a moment. "Danielle, it was so realistic! First, his monitors went off, and this room was crowded with people. They must have worked on him for fifteen minutes at least; more doctors and nurses kept crowding in! But he died anyway, and one by one they all filed out. My, it was terrible!" The already painful memory of the dream hit Annie like a wave, and she began sobbing again (this time silently though).

Danielle leaned over and wrapped her little sister in a huge hug. "Shh, it'll be okay," she whispered as Annie wept. "Look, Auggie'll heal. He's the bravest and strongest person I know!"

Annie smiled as she calmed down, resolving not to go to sleep again until Auggie woke up for fear of bad dreams. She let her sister comfort her a while, but Annie barely heard anything she said; she was focusing all her attention on one single prayer: "_Please God, please make him well._"

**oOo**

Danielle left after Annie had tried to eat dinner, and now it was getting late. Still, the nurses didn't kick Annie out; there must have been some unspoken agreement between them and the doctors. Annie was quietly pondering what she would do if Auggie died, the nightmare spurring an entire parade of thoughts Annie had never wanted to entertain. Annie thought she had cried herself out, but tears still came, and in moments Annie was yet again sobbing. She didn't want anyone to see her like this, and so she folded her arms on the side of Auggie's mattress and cried into them.

She almost didn't feel the hand brush her head. When at last the touch did register, Annie wondered if she were dreaming again. The last dream had felt so real, she was sure it was reality at the time. But then, Danielle's visiting was hardly a dream, and Annie had been crying ever since (so it seemed to her). So, using Annie-logic, she should still be awake.

Annie lifted her head off her arms and looked at the still form in front of her. Auggie's eyes were still closed, but his hand had moved! Auggie had lifted up his arm and put his hand on Annie's head; Annie suddenly realized that if Auggie was awake he would have heard her sobbing. When Annie sat up, Auggie moved his hand to the side of her face, and Annie knew that instant Auggie was awake because he began moving her tears away with his thumb.

He opened his eyes then; more to show Annie he was awake than for his own benefit. He couldn't talk because of the tube down his throat, nor did he remember how to smile with his eyes, so he communicated the only way he could by wiping Annie's tears away. And Annie reciprocated by squeezing his hand tight and whispering "I'm here, Auggie."

A few moments after this, Annie had called in the nurse. In seconds, Annie was rushed out, and a doctor came in and did a whole host of tests on Auggie. Annie waited anxiously outside, and when the doctor finally emerged again, she fairly pounced on him.

"Well," she demanded as the doctor regarded her with infuriating professional calmness.

"He'll be okay," the doctor answered. "He'll need the chest tube in for another day, and he'll have to spend a week here at least, but I see no reason to why he won't fully recover."

"Thank you, oh thank you so much!" Annie turned to go back inside.

"Um, Miss Walker," the doctor said as he stepped in front of the door. "Miss Walker, he needs rest right now. I'd advise you to go home and get a good night's sleep; visiting hours are over. You can see him again in the morning, okay?"

Annie thought about arguing, but she could see that it wouldn't do any good. Besides, a shower and her own bed sounded very alluring.

"Alright," Annie finally consented. "But as soon as visiting hours begin tomorrow, I will be here."

"I don't doubt it," the doctor replied as Annie headed for the main lobby.

**oOo**

Auggie recovered very quickly because he was in such good shape. His chest tube was taken out the night after he woke up, and his lung had stabilized. He was sent home only a week and a half after the stabbing (Annie came to visit with him for a couple of weeks so that she could take care of him). The hospital days went by in a boring blur; they were broken only by visits from Annie, the other agents of the DPD (including Joan), and doctors. Suffice to say, Annie was his favorite visitor. She often came in knowing the exact thing to say to make him smile.

Joan had to deal with a huge mess on her hands. The only good thing that came from the endeavor was their department's acquisition of a weapons cache. This became a very useful bartering chip when the Pentagon began pointing fingers; no department wanted to admit they lost track of an analyst for several weeks.

The real John Freeman was never found; Julius had been an expert in covering his tracks. "Ben" had been prosecuted for assisting the crime, but since he was under duress the judges were lenient. He and his family were relocated elsewhere, just in case Julius had hired a backup contract killer to tie up any loose ends he might have missed. It was better that they were out of town, anyway; if Auggie ran into "Ben" on the street, there wouldn't be much of him left when Auggie was through.

Four weeks later, Annie and Auggie were walking through their park again, taking the exercise very slow for Auggie's sake. It was cold and misty, and the breeze had the sharp chill of winter. The leaves had long ago blown away in a brilliance of colors; the last of the leaves on the trees were a dry, crackled brown. The grass underfoot was yellow and brown, and the world around them seemed to struggle to stay awake even though winter loomed on their doorstep. It was a week away from Thanksgiving, and Annie felt happier than she had felt in many, _many_ months. She had plenty to be thankful for.

"Let's rest here a moment," Annie suggested, curling her legs under her in the dry grass. "You're starting to breathe hard."

"Arg," Auggie complained. "How am I supposed to remain active and yet not put a strain on my lungs?"

"You have to be very talented," Annie replied in amusement. "Come on, for just a moment."

Auggie sighed good naturedly and sat down beside Annie. They were both bundled in coats and scarves from head to foot, so sitting was actually quite comfortable and the cold didn't really seem to matter.

They sat in silence for a very long time, enjoying just the presence of each other's company. Though Annie still hadn't told Auggie how she felt about him (although Auggie seemed to remember having a conversation sometime with her about the subject; perhaps in a dream), her actions since the hospital had left no doubt in Auggie's mind that she loved him. After all, she took off work so that she could stay with him and help him recuperate. During this time, she had been an amazing caregiver. Annie had never nagged Auggie, just reminded him when things needed to be done. And she always put everything back in the exact place she found it; she was amazingly sensitive and adaptive toward his blindness.

Auggie reflected on this as they sat there, enjoying the changing world around them. Without really meaning to, Auggie said softly, "I love you, Annie."

He felt a tense wave of panic grip him as he realized what he had said out loud, and he waited for Annie to sound panicked or cold or... uncaring. But his heart almost stopped when she replied, with the same amount of quiet certainty that was in Auggie's voice, "I love you too, Auggie."

Time seemed to stop then, and suddenly, to Auggie's immense surprise, Annie kissed him. The kiss was long and deep, and when Annie pulled away, Auggie felt her hand on his face. "You look surprised," Annie said happily yet expectantly.

Auggie felt his face break out into a gigantic smile. "Very, happily surprised!" he responded. And with that, the couple kissed again and held each other tight against the cold.

The End


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